According to the most recent West Chester Commons flyer, Josh Hartnett and Britney Spears are strong supporters. The flamboyant leaflet says, as to why to live in West Chester Commons, because “we (Hartnett and Spears) do.”We can all laugh at that, but what really doesn’t make sense here is what’s written at the bottom of the advertisement…”No RAs.” I don’t understand how that is supposed to be a “positive feature” of the new West Chester Commons apartments. If anything, the advertisement gives a negative impression of Resident Assistance. Since when is it a bad thing to have RAs? As someone who is proud to work for the Department of Student Affairs and Residence Life in particular, I see a wrong-doing on the part of West Chester Commons’.
I’m not asking for an apology, but the management staff of West Chester Commons at least owes the student body an explanation of this flyer. Since when is having no RA’s a good thing? Is West Chester Commons trying to show on-campus life in a negative way in order to win business from WCU students? We can’t really assume, but, again, an explanation is needed.
Their website (www.wccommons.com) has a video feature. In it is a clip (from WCU TV-5) of a WCU student who claims to be a Schmidt Hall resident saying, “Nobody really wants to live in the dorms…it’s not great…the apartments are really better.” Needless to say, she is speaking about apartments that aren’t even completed yet; yet according to this video clip, they are better.
So again, I stick to my question to the West Chester Commons staff: What exactly are your intentions through this type of advertising?
I’ll tell you what mine are…to defend on-campus life against what is probably an unfair representation from an outside business. Don’t get me wrong, I love capitalism, free enterprise and competition, but I’m going to stand up for my side too. Residence life here at West Chester University is a wonderful experience for many WCU students. Many students start their first years at WCU right here, on campus.
As for their statement about RA’s, the truth is that RA’s make a real difference in the lives of students by providing them with educational programming, academic support, helping skills and a safe, comfortable place to live. Since West Chester Commons is adamant about not having RA’s, I ask them without RA’s, what is the West Chester Commons going to do about room lock-outs, roommate conflicts, academic advice/needs, students’ emotional needs, enforcing the rules and making sure everyone is considerate of each other? In residence life, RA’s are here for all types of such support.
Residence life here on campus is not 100 percent per-fect, but I think it comes really close. There are many benefits to living on campus in residence halls, including having RAs as a resource for students. So it just baffles me why an independent housing business would put out an advertisement saying that they don’t have this advantage. Heck, it would even baffle Josh Hartnett and Britney Spears.
Anthony Maalouf is a sophomore majoring in political science with a minor in Spanish studies.